The clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1883-1888, 1887-09-21

Lew vanderpoeie in the Writer re-
produces what celebrated Rovelists told


Lew yanderpoele in the Writer re-
produces what celebrated Rovelists told
him concerning their methods.
Making books. said Charles Dick
ems, lis very much ike building
houses; aud the author is a more or
less happy combination of architect
and carpenter There must not only
be the appreciation of material. and
power to arrange it consistently, but
there must. also, for good results, be
unqualified sympathy between the
author and his subject No man ever
wrote anything artistically. praise
worthy on any subject with which he
was not in tune. What critic, glanc-
ing at the outside of an unlabeled box
of goods. would assume TO guess out
the secret of its contents? | doubt If
the yeariest egotist. suddenly running
upon new and unknown species of
tree, would attempt telling YOU the
color OF the wood without seraping
away the bark. If he did. he would
be doing exactly what critics do when,
Judging simply from his book, they
tell you that between an authors
masterpiece and himself there is only
lantagonism.
Reviewers, remarked Lord I.ytton.
'have been strangely misled in one
respect in passing Judgment upon my
novels: declaring, as they all do, that
never have In any way drawn upon
my own personality. No one, in
reality, has ever done this a greater
extent than / have. Never have |
written a novel or drama in which /
did not incorporate the greater part of
my views and emotions az | felt them
at the time. Since am neuer in the
same intellectual poise for two con-
secutive months. this system of filing
IN my stories by drawing upon my own
personality direct enables me to seem
versatile, 50 far as treatment goes in q
wsy which is, in results. quite as novel
as if mine was the most remarkab BILE
genius on earth
Charles Reade after displaying his
serap-books said: You will under
stand all of this better when | have
given YOU an idea of my book-maling-
ing views. Most authors. so | think.
deal too much with idealism all the
way through; believe that writing a
novel is just as material piece of work
. as writing a dictionary. All available
! ! stuff. which You think there is any
possibility of your using. should first be
gathered, sorted, and classified. Then
this matter ought to be read and re-
, read until You are thoroughly familiar
with it. This done, the time is ripe for
the only part of Your novel which is
> altogether ideal-the selection of yom
plot. In this you can unbridle youl
imagination and let it play in any ol
all directions it may choose. Your ploi
once selected. you must study it and
WOO it and caress it as you would any
coy girl upon whom your heart might
be set. When once she is entirel,
! | yours treat her as tradesnaI
: treats his newly won bride-se
her to work. Then the ideal part il
= : all over with and dead earnest begins
= You fit generally hard ones, a
most facts are-to the various parts o
your plot, until that romantic maider
: becomes, by contact with matter-of
T; fact things matter-of-fact herself.
l you let her keep too much of her OLD
. time romance you spell the book. II yol
d leave too little of it and make you
combination all matter-of-fact you sur
: pass your age and do a novel whicl
will be read years and years after yo
, become worm-meat."